Greetings!
I have been looking at using a back end RDMS solution other than VFP, for
file size/capacity/ThinNet reasons, for some time. I have looked at MySQL,
Firebird, SQL Server and PostgreSQL. For a myriad of reasons I have pretty
much settled on starting to work with PostgreSQL, not the least reason of
which is that my primary target market (and current clients) is extremely
price sensitive. For that reason alone VFP based apps have been very well
received, that the VFP apps have also performed splendidly is icing on the
cake. I do not feel I can "get away" with the annual (or even a one time)
commercial license fee required by MySQL, much less the M$ fees for SQL
Server (the light version will not scale large enough for my purposes, and I
do not want to start playing with multiple databases to try to shoehorn it
as several tables alone within VFP are already pushing 2Gb unto themselves).
As interesting as Firebird is, there is far more material on PostgreSQL
(books, time in market) as compared to Firebird. And, as I recall, we have
a few ProFox members who have been using PostgreSQL and have been singing
its praises every chance they get to do so.
So, what I would like to know is if anyone in our group has any information
(words of warning <g>) that could help Jump Start my efforts to migrate from
a VFP back end to a PostgreSQL back end, and any recommendations for
connectivity (SPT?), configuration advice, books or web sites you have found
particularly useful, apps, or tools to help with the creation and management
of PostgreSQL databases (graphic interface of course <g>).
Following are the hardware, O/S and application environments I plan to work
within. Unless anyone sees anything grossly wrong with the following
environment items I do not plan to bolster anything any further for a few
months.
I plan to run the PostgreSQL Database Server on a Dell SC420 P4 512Mg server
class machine with a single 80Gb SATA Boot HDD, and a pair of 73Gb SCSI
drives for any data files. I have MS Windows 2003 Server installed already,
and it has been running reliably for other purposes (dbf databases
primarily) since I purchased it earlier this year. Within a few months I
will be adding at least one more server class machine to my LAN.
I have all VFP versions from VFP v-3 through v-9, just upgraded to
InstallShield v-11, and some time ago cut all of my development PCs to
either Win 2000 Pro (SP4) or XP Pro (SP1) with between 768Mg and 1Gb RAM
running on 1.8 - 3.0 Ghz PCs. The only Win98SE PCs I have any longer are
run inside M$ Virtual PC. I plan to use VFP v-9 for the transition to the
PostgreSQL back end, although I may well run under "SET ENGINEBEHAVIOR 70"
as some of my older SQL-SELECT statements works so well just as they are.
If I end up having to rewrite the SQL-SELECT statements for PostgreSQL
anyway I will then move to the "SET ENGINEBEHAVIOR 90" environment. Other
than that I do not see any issues, other than connectivity with updateable
Remote View constructs, that I need to concern myself with for VFP. In the
past I used a configuration table to set up the various values needed to
connect to Oracle v-8, and MS SQL Server v-6, set of databases. I plan to
do something quite similar for the PostgreSQL project, and would appreciate
any guidance re: connectivity issues.
Okay, I am ready for the onslaught of information to begin coming in. I
thank all of my colleagues who have any tidbits of advice that can be
shared.
Hey, as long as you are reading this eMail, have a safe and great New Year
celebration!
Regards,
Gil
Gilbert M. Hale
New Freedom Data Resources
Pittsford, NY
585-359-8085 - Office (Rolls To Cellular)
585-202-4341 - Cellular/VoiceMail
gil At gilhale D.O.T com
©2005 Gilbert Hale |
